Two days ago, I went to a smaller music venue in Karlsruhe called Substage. The main band playing there was Being As An Ocean from Alpine, California. I only knew the band roughly before, but I always like to go to smaller concerts with bands that might not be as famous yet and let me surprise. As always so far it was definitely worth it!
The first band of the in total four bands of this evening was ‘Casey’, an Alternative band from South Wales that was founded in 2015 by Adam, Liam, May, Toby and Tom. Their show was simple and self-expressive. It was all about the music which was really enjoyable. In September 2016 they released their debut album ‘Love Is Not Enough’ via Hassle Records.
http://caseytheband.bigcartel.com/
After around half an hour the next band started their sound check on stage. Capsize was the second band of the evening. With their Post Hardcore vibes, this band definitely heavier than the first one and let the crowd know what they might could expect later in the evening.
The third band was a German band called Burning Down Alaska founded 2012 in Recklinghausen. With Kassim Auale (Vocals) as the newest member, the band also consists of Tobias Rische (Vocals), Dario Sanchez (Guitar), Julian Englisch (Bass) and Marvin Bruckwilder (Guitar). They already released their debut album ‘Values & Virtues’ in 2015 via Redfield Records. With their new singer they mix clear vocals with screamed verses which might be classified as New Wave Hardcore. Musically, their style was melancholic, dark with anthem like choruses. The newest song ‘Blossom’ is the first recorded song with their new singer. They were one of my favourites of this evening.
http://www.burningdownalaska.com/
Finally, after nearly one and a half hours, the actual main band of the evening entered the stage. Being As An Ocean are a Melodic Hardcore or Post Hardcore band from California (USA) and was founded in 2012. The actual members consist of Joel Quartuccio (Shouting), Michael McGough (clear vocals, rhythm guitar), Tyler Ross (backing vocals, lead guitar) and Ralph Sica (Bass). Up today, the band released three albums which are ‘Dear G-d’ in 2012 (InVogue Records), ‘How We Both Wondrously Perish’ in 2014 (Impericon Records – Europa) and the self-titled album ‘Being As An Ocean’ in 2015 (InVogue Records). In 2016 the band released a new single called ‘Dissolved’ after being signed by Equal Vision Records. Musically, the mix shouts with clear vocals and keep harsh Hardcore riffs in the back. The shouts are more spoken giving the songs a unique touch compared to other Hardcore bands.
https://www.facebook.com/beingasanocean/
The crowd was motivated from the beginning and sung along, jumped ran in circle pits and some surfed the crowd. It was a great atmosphere and everyone seemed to enjoy the different bands. With the end of the first band, the fans already started to ask for ‘one more song’ which is something I haven’t seen at concerts before but thought was really great. There was also a huge interaction between the bands and the fans. The supporting acts mainly communicated on the stage. However, Joel Quartuccio enjoyed being part of the crowd himself as he went down the stage and walked through the crowd, sung standing in circle-pits and let him carry back on stage as he surfed the crowd. This was also a highlight for the fans as the band was down to earth and close for everyone.
The club organises different live-music events from all kinds of national and international acts or genres, but mainly different types of Rock and Metal, as well as Hip Hop, Pop and electronic music. Furthermore, as the support of local musicians is very important for them, they also offer cooperation, seminars and competitions. It is a smaller venue that might fit between 500 and 1000 visitors which seemed to be sold out this evening according to one of the singers of Burning Down Alaska. Additionally, there was a bar, cloakroom, space for band merchandise, a small area with table and chairs and toilets. In my opinion, the venue was very good and suitable. Furthermore, the sound and acoustic were really great. They took their time for all of the four bands with the sound check to optimise everything. The light show was very good and suitable as well. It was not too much and underlined the atmosphere of each song that was played.
All in all, it was a really great evening with awesome music, great and talented bands and it was a special time.
A Special Time 
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